‘Shadow of a Queen’ by Peter Tonkin

Independently Published,
21 October 2025.
ISBN:979-827014396-1 (PB)   

The main part of this historical espionage novel focuses on the intrigues around Mary, Queen of Scots during the final part of her imprisonment in England under Elizabeth, seen through the eyes of intelligencer Robert Poley. It begins over twenty years earlier, with the death of Mary’s young husband, the King of France, the event which sent her back to Scotland, followed by a vivid account of the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre in Paris, showing the reader why Elizabeth’s ministers were so afraid of a Catholic uprising, and giving Poley motivation for his double-dealing.

Poley is a sympathetic protagonist, appearing at first to save the young Philip Sidney in the massacre, then as a soldier in the French/German religious wars. This touches on some of the ground covered in the previous books in the series. During the book, his loyalties to Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster, conflict with his love for his young wife and child. Poley was a real person, and all the people who surround him were also historical: Walsingham, Elizabeth’s first minister Cecil, the covert priest Ballard and young Antony Babington, whose plotting to free Mary brought about her downfall. We’re given pictures of all of them, including Mary herself, seen first as a young widow, then as an ageing, overweight Queen so crippled by rheumatism that she can’t stand unaided. We’re shown how she traded on her position, but it’s also made clear that her downfall was brought about by deliberate entrapment. The characters are supported by a wealth of detail: the crowded towns, muddy roads, the food, the horrors of torture in the Tower, the fear of plague. Although the story of Mary Queen of Scots is well-known – and her death described at the end of the novel – the author has gone into detail of parts of the story which are less well known, like how close Savage came to killing Elizabeth, and this maintains genuine tension throughout.

A historical spy novel which brings new light to a well-known story and feels like time travel in the historical detail. It reads well as a stand-alone, but is the fifth in The Queen’s Intelligencer series, starring Poley. The first is Shadow of the Axe.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor 

Peter Tonkin was born 1 January 1950 in Ulster, son of an RAF officer. He spent much of his youth travelling the world from one posting to another. He went to school at Portora Royal, Enniskillen and Palmer's, Grays. He sang, acted, and published poetry, winning the Jan Palac Memorial Prize in 1968. He studied English with Seamus Heaney at Queen's Belfast. His first novel, Killer, was published in 1978. His work has included the acclaimed "Mariner" series that have been critically compared with the best of Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley and Hammond Innes. He has also written a series of Elizabethan mysteries. Since retiring from teaching he has written mysteries set in Ancient Rome and more recently a series set in Greece.

https://petertonkin.com/

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk